Meet Our Families

1,000 families have achieved their dream of dignified home ownership with Esperanza.Meet a few here.

Belen

Rosarito

Belen, 30, has been involved with Esperanza since 2015. She shares, “My experience with Esperanza has been one of the greatest things to ever happen to me. I achieved a huge goal in life with the help of the technicians and volunteers. This ‘Esperanza Family’ helped me achieve this dream and I am grateful. The truth is I am very happy and grateful and we are continuing to work to make more dreams come true.” Belen continues to participate in her community savings groups and attend weekly meetings every Thursday in the community of Rosarito.

Eindelisa

Colonia Cumbres

Construction on Eindelisa’s home was completed during the summer of 2017 in the community of Las Cumbres. Each day, Eindelisa graciously and enthusiastically greeted Esperanza volunteers who arrived to help build her home. Her boundless energy and enthusiasm was contagious and was even more impressive when volunteers learned that she was the sole caregiver for her three young grandchildren. Construction on Endelisa’s home was a family affair; her three young grandchildren loved to play with the volunteers any chance they got.

Familia Cervantes

Colonia La Morita

Before becoming involved with Fundación Esperanza de México, Carmen Cervantes lived with her three daughters and granddaughter in an unstable, one-room home in Tijuana made from scraps of wood haphazardly nailed together. The roof leaked and all five women shared a queen bed pushed together with a bunk bed. For 25 years, Carmen had been the sole caretaker of her two daughters and granddaughter, all who have severe special needs.

With Carmen at home tending to three family members with special needs, her eldest daughter, Selina, carried the responsibility of being the sole breadwinner of the family. From medications to diapers to daily food and water, Selina struggled to cover the family’s basic needs with her minimum-wage job.

In May 2017, Esperanza International & Fundaciόn Esperanza de México joined forces to raise funds to build the 1,000th home (or “Casa Mil”) and give the Cervantes family the safe and dignified housing they needed.

Typically, this is not how Esperanza works. Esperanza families are not given homes, but they become homeowners by paying for their houses through their neighborhood community savings fund. This is the first time in our 32-year history that we are called upon all our Esperanza communities from Tijuana to Seattle to Sydney and beyond to work together to raise funds to build Casa Mil.

We broke ground on Casa Mil in June 2017. Volunteer groups enthusiastically worked all summer to build Casa Mil. We expect to complete the home in October 2017. Overwhelmed by the support of the entire Esperanza community, Selina Cervantes shared, “We are so happy, none of this would have been possible on our own.”

Rosie & Familia

Colonia Lomas de San Antonio

Rosie joined her local community savings group in 2009 in Lomas de San Antonio. She shares, “For eight years I have helped, and they have helped me as well.” She continues, “In my family, they have learned to value their home and to work in union. As a family, my children, myself, and my husband have learned so much about construction. We love sharing with the groups that have come to support us. We have made beautiful friendships with everyone and even maintain communication with volunteers who have visited. We don’t have a lot of resources, but we welcome the volunteers with gratitude and love. May God bless and give strength to all who have come and helped us build. Esperanza has definitely changed our home and our future because we have a dignified home and a beautiful love for Fundación Esperanza”.